Leahy Eyeing Privacy Component of Set-top Proposal

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee used a Wednesday subcommittee hearing on ISP privacy rules to needle FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on his set-top box rulemaking. “I have long supported efforts to promote meaningful competition in the set-top box market, knowing that customers will benefit from increased choice in how they interact with their cable programming,” Judiciary Committee ranking member Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said in his opening statement. “However, the benefit of increased choice should not come at the expense of important privacy protections that currently apply to set-top boxes, which receive extensive information about customers’ viewing habits. I am also tracking closely the impact the FCC’s proposal would have on content creators, to ensure that their rights are fully protected as third-party platforms make their content available. As the FCC opens up the market for set-top boxes, consumers and programmers should have the same rights and protections that they have today.” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, also cited the set-top proposal during remarks at the hearing, saying, “I continue to be concerned about how the proposed set-top box rules would impact video content.”